SAO: Memory Composite
by K0nk3yDong
Summary: Stories change given time. Sometimes for the better. Right? An attempt at rewritting SAO. This time with emotion, trauma, pain, tears...and like a pheonix from the ashes...love
1. Prologue

Over time...stories change. Especially ones remembered on digital media. As the years go by, original hardware becomes legacy tech. Legacy tech becomes incompatible with modern hardware and the drives are forced to be ported over to something modern.

This is no different for our beloved story of Sword Art Online. As the records of the story drifted apart across different devices of various states of obsolescence and disrepair, an attempt was made by the state in cooperation with the descendants of the Kirigaya-Yuuki family to reassemble the story as an act of remembrance and respect to the heroes of now countless families spawned from the thousands freed from the death game: Kazuto and Asuna Kirigaya-Yuuki the " **Champions of Sword Art Online** " and blah blah blah...all the titles and praise and such. The problem with trying to pull it all together wasn't that it was difficult no, of course not. The art of navigating technology and code was an anchor of pride in the households birthed from the Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash. The problem arose when the story was shaved down, streamlined and assembled in a readable form. The story told was much less...heroic...much more desperate and reeked of decisions formed by youth strained to its limit. Stories of mental trauma, unhealthy relationships and reliance. Of suicide raids and bloodied hands.

This story...was much more expressive, emotional... _ **raw**..._Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya seemed much less like the barely emotive, stone faced hero portrayed in the historical (and rather controversial) Light Novel and more like a shattered and broken teen, trying his best to maintain a leader persona within his safe haven turned madhouse. Desperately clinging to the questionable affections of an originally suicidal Asuna "Lightning Flash" Yuuki. And Asuna seemed less like the shining beacon of collected and calculated, tactical finesse she was portrayed as with the "KOB" guild she was with. She seemed more like a broken rich mans daughter, holding on to Kazuto with a death grip because he's the first man she's run into that's not a business partner or a pervert. Haplessly showering him with affection while sacrificing her own mental health in hopes that he'll stay. But maybe...Juuuust maybe...these changes are for the better...


	2. Chp1 Merry Christmas

_Floor 35, Krystal December 24 2020_

The leather wrapping of the sword hilt dug into my hand, uncaring for the metal-laced black gloves protecting my avatar from the biting cold of the winter dungeon.

I held it out from habit instead of will to survive. I could've cared less if the Naughty Dark Elves that stalked this forest dungeon got a lucky hit. Not anymore. Five people are dead because of me. An entire guild of middle school kids barely half my level are now sitting in some Nagano morgue with fried synapses because I shoved my damn foot in my mouth and lied through my teeth. They honestly thought I was level 20? Doesn't matter anymore. They're gone, and it was my fault.

Argo claimed the Christmas dungeon boss dropped a revival item. It was a rumor. Gossip, speculation, a possibility. Either way, something good comes from this, I find a way to revive Sachi, or I die a fool's death. Erased by the boss. Alone, suffering and broken. At least that way I get what I deser-

"Kirito? What are you doing here man?" Snapping my eyes up to the left entrance in the area, I saw Klein and the rest of the Fuurinkazan clad in the red samurai-inspired armor. "...hey Klein..." I addressed weakly. Klein knew I was hurt by losing the Black Cats. The half-hearted greeting didn't help his concern. "Kirito why are you out here by yourself? This is pretty deep in," as Klein spoke he summoned his map with one hand. "If you're gonna grind for the higher level monsters, you should at least let your friends know..."

I flinched at 'let friends know' because that was exactly what I didn't want to do in this situation. Looking back up, Klein had frozen with his finger hovering on the dismissal of his map, his eyes were wide with a twinkle of fear in them. Stepping forward, Klein grasped my sleeve, "NO! Nononononono NO! You are NOT going on a suicide mission!" I flinched again. He must've seen the boss room was the next room over. "There's a chance Klein. I can't waste it. I can bring at least one back..." Klein seemed to deflate, shaking his head with tears stinging his eyes. "...Kazuto...man, you have to let go...she's gone..."

Tears fell freely and I snapped. I couldn't handle it. "WHAT DO I HAVE LEFT YOU WEEABOO BASTARD! WHAT DO I HAVE DAMMIT!" I fell to my knees, retching out a long, crackling, pained, bellowing wail... Shooting upright I grabbed my best friend's wrist, sword still held in his hand, and brought the blade to my throat. "DO IT! FUCKING END ME! THEY DIED! EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM. WHILE I GOT OUT WITH BARELY A SCRATCH! ...why do I deserve to live when I led them to their deaths? " I couldn't stop trembling, "This is your katana. There are many blades like it, but this one is yours! DO IT!" This is what I've fallen to. Incoherently referencing Full Metal Jacket, begging my closest friend to take my life.

Klein took a step back in shock, dropping his sword with a soft 'pwiphth' as the tip sank into the fresh fallen snow. A beat passed before his gloved hand came down gently on my shoulder, the soft shift in the snow telling me he'd dropped to a knee. "Kazuto? Look at me." I obliged. "You have plenty left to fight for... friends like me who care for you enough to look for you when you disappear like this... but who's probably watching right now? On your player stream?" ...Damn him...and damn me for telling him about Sugu and my life back home... She was probably bawling right now. Shouting at me blindly through the screen to stop..."Kazuto...do you know what kind of reputation you're building among the civies?" I shook my head in confusion. "Heh," Klein smiled weakly, "you've become a living legend. A silent, black-clad merc hardly charging a thing to grind, escort, or rescue. Ever since you took that job on floor 5, the low level red guilds have almost disappeared. One of them even turned themselves in. The. Entire. Guild. All because you put their tank in critical red with one strike on that job. They call you the Black Swordsman. You're as big a hero as the top guild leaders man! And if you vanished..."

Realization hit me. I'd become a leader... even if the clearers hated me… fine... Fine...dammit… I'll have to grit my teeth, swallow my own needs and lead… I can't disappear, not yet. My hand wrapped around the hilt of my sword. I stood and started moving toward the boss entrance. "Kazuto... what are you doing?" I turned toward him, my proximity to the edge of the clearing causing the portal to ripple. A breeze picked up, billowing my coattails. I took a strained, centering breath before looking over my shoulder, "What am I doing? ...Well it imagine what would happen if word spread of the Black Swordsman soloing a boss? So, you wanna know what I'm doing? I'm Leading." Leaving no time to respond I pushed forward lunging into the boss arena.


	3. Chp 2 Glorified Madman

**A/N**

 **Sorry if this feels _off_ but I'm still feeling out characters. **

* * *

Glorified Madman

(Battle Soundtrack: _Asylum_ Disturbed)

There's a chance I can beat this. A way out that doesn't rip me from the lives of my friends and family. But to do that I'd need to execute my plan with 100% accuracy.

Over the past few month I've settled into a DPS/Technical combat style. Combining Kendo with the flow of natural SAO swordplay. Most of my Swordskills are multi-hit combos that are weak in per strike damage, but combined are devastating. The ones I'm looking at using apply stun, paralysis, or confusion with successful contact of all strikes, but the skill freeze makes them impractical… unless...

A unique way SAO balances skill freeze in a fast paced game like this is a hybrid combo system that harkens back to older games like the Gears of War series. As a multi-hit combo is executed, a small bar appears at the bottom of my HUD. When the skill finishes, a little vertical line appears at a random location on the bar. The bar will fill up and I have to time my next skill with the vertical line to chain them together and ignore the skill freeze. If I miss, the skill freeze penalty is doubled. It gets faster the more skills I chain.

So, either I chain together ALL the skills perfectly or I freeze and die. I already told myself I can't do that; others look up to me now. So I need perfection.

Perfection...

Nicholas the Renegade dropped to the ground, heaving a large cleaver-type weapon. As I drew in a breath and brandished my blade, my mind drifted to an old American metal song I heard from somewhere. Drowning the voices of all the streamer feeds we could hear from the outside during boss raids that were yelling at the idiot trying to solo a boss. The boss itself leaned forward and let out a strange metallic creaking in place of a roar. I smirked. Don't you know who I am?

[Double Halfmoon Sweep]

I heaved my sword and dashed forward, spinning and making two large crescent gashes in the boss, staggering it and leaving it stunned.

I'm the Black Swordsman!

Wait for it… NOW!

[Joan's Arc]

I dodged back, just missing the swipe from the massive cleaver. Surging forward, I dropped to my knees and swung in a high arc, catching the boss on the chin and snapping its head back.

…GO!

[Morte Darthur]

I jumped up, following the boss's face which was mangled and scarred with blue, frostbitten skin. In the hang time before the execution, I gave the streamers watching something to rant about, "Ho Ho Holy crap you're ugly!" I taunted before moving to the combo. I slashed its head horizontal, vertical, and both diagonals before smashing the top of its head with the flat of the blade.

The combo meter kept speeding up. I had yet to falter.

[Icarus Aerial]

More...

[Vorpal Strike]

Just a little more...

[Dancer's Strike]

[Crown Rose Combo]

[Lionheart Lunge]

The combo meter was ridiculously fast now, yet I somehow found the mark each time regardless

I dodged back, landing already in position for the next round. The hang time between skills was just enough to catch my breath, but that window was getting smaller and smaller the longer my combo went on... I have no choice.

Skills began to blur together, all my focus on the combo bar as it seemed to reach inhuman speeds, yet my sword continued to shift into all sorts of colors as any possible skill position was used to keep myself moving forward. Slashing, stabbing, blocking, redirecting, punching, kicking, flipping. It all mushed together into an ever-quickening rhythm. I finally noticed I was grinning like a madman. My heart was racing, my virtual muscles ached, I was terrified, and yet I was having the time of my life. I had an idea that nearly broke my concentration, but I kept that rhythm anyway. "Hey…Sis...when I...get...OUT..OF..HERE...you...owe...me...a sparring match...and...a Nationals...finals pic!"

I knew she was watching, and I knew that would simultaneously cheer her up and motivate her. If her brother wanted a kendo match and if he wanted a pic of her at the Kendo Nationals Finals, she'd train hard to get there, get the pic and be the best so that she'd be able to lay him out and give him the pic when he did get out.

Last bar in the red!

[Feint Swipe]

Last chance!

[Horizontal Square]

I swung hard to the left and dodged to right, swinging back across to slash the boss in the side. I spun and sidestepped again, bringing the blade to bare against his back, dashing forward and dragging my sword through his other side. The combo ended, and I let my momentum bring my arm up to sheathe the blade before the freeze took over and the boss exploded.


	4. Chp 3 Aftermath

**A/N**

 **So, slowing down a bit here. Trying my hand at banter. If it's trash I'm sorry. That just means the way I talk to my friends is weird XP**

 _Floor 5, Hylea, December 27 2020_

"You know what Asuna? You're short!" Klein looked up and made a short snickering sound and Agil cracked a smile with a raised eyebrow. The girl in question looked at me slightly stunned and said "just why?" I smiled at her and responded, "Because a) you're short, 2) you're tiny, also you're short! It's simple" I made a little amused grunt at her expression and continued to puff on my Mintreed. (essentially the SAO equivalent of a menthol cigarette made from well... a reed, obviously, that grows alongside cattails) Asuna grunted in disapproval, "A, 2, also? Is that how that goes?" Klein smirked and said "Of course it is. The normal alphanumeric system just isn't emo enough for mister EdgeArtOnline over here!" Everyone's eyes went wide for a split second before raucous laughter rang out along the safe hillsides of the Ocarina of Time inspired floor of Hylea. I looked at my dark coat and then popped my collar "It's not a phase Klein I swear! Rawr!" This sent the group into a second wave of laughter. "K-Kirito! I can't breathe! Can't breathe!" Agil was beating his fist into the ground trying to inhale. I jumped up and pointed at him "Suck it up! FUCKING NORMIE! REEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Crabwalking in a circle around the group.

Several minutes later, everybody had settled down from the wheezing and spastic convulsions and now sat in content silence watching the wind sweep in waves across the rolling hills of waist high grass. I was watching wondering if any items or chests of Col were tucked away in the tall grass as a cheeky reference to the floor's inspiration. These three were my only friends. That's three more people than I would've preferred, but moments like this I could get behind. Attempting to grab a few laughs from them was the least I could do for them after how much they had helped me since I...well, tried to give up. The three insisted on getting together here to spend the day as a kind of late Christmas given that most of us were preoccupied with event quests and bosses. Klein gave me no option but to agree after he picked me up that night...

* * *

 _Directly after defeating Nicolas the Renegade*_

 _The reward screen floated in front of me, displaying the substantial gain of xp and Col. But I wasn't paying attention, I could dole out stats later and any amount of Col was welcome, no what held my attention was at the top of the drop list, "Devine Amulet of Returning Soul" sitting there, daring me to find out if it can do what I want._

 _I came through the entry with a blank look not really paying attention to Klein or his guild and their surprised or questioning looks. "Kirito? Did you...?" I closed my eyes and tossed the the free rez at him. He caught it awkwardly and checked its description. "Apply within 10 seconds of avatar death..." Klein looked at me with a sympathetic gaze and turned to who I assume was his second in command. "Archer make sure the rest of the guys get home and message Agil, let him know what happened here. Tell him to meet us at our old spot in Hylea he'll know what to do. Once you have that done message me and go get some rest. I'll be going out for a while. Maybe a couple days. Until you hear from me, you're in charge." Archer blinked twice, then nodded and headed off to carry out orders. Klein turned back to adress me, taking a breath before starting, "You and I are going to a player run bar. Where you will get thoroughly hammered and pour your sorrows out. No objections, no substitutions, no skips." What? That's not the normal or probably safe response at all. My curiosity must've been obvious as he continued, "yeah probably not the absolute best but it's better than any idea you came up with. I'm watching over you until you get back on your feet. Hangovers and human interaction just might encourage you to get back up faster." I stared at him for a few seconds and sighed, submitting to his control. "Fine. I'll go. But only if this player bar makes Fenrisian Ale." Klein's eyes went wide. "A-a-are you sure about that buddy. Fen-Fenrisian is strong even for me. The bar consciousness_ _record on that is still under 6 minutes from downing a single glass." I_ _shot back immediately "If I'm going to do this then that's about as strong as I need it."_

 _The rest of that night was spent half remembered. An entire bottle of Fenrisian was consumed between the three of us and plenty of tears were exchanged between the all of us. Alongside manliness competitions, drunken karaoke, arm wrestling that Agil mostly dominated, and attempting to tell Klein and Agil "fuck this" and leave only to find the lower half of the world spinning one way and the top half the other and said "fuck this" mangled by alcohol into "fuhbuh." Thirty seconds after that I lost all sense of balance and passed out on the bar floor._

After that night, I didn't feel better but I wasn't desperate enough to commit sepuku via soup spoon. That afternoon, Asuna showed up and severely beat Klein for doing such things with me. She gave a day to recover and essentially forced today's late celebration upon us. Klein still forced me to go. Only now I didn't regret coming. I just hope I don't disappoint them this time.

Opting to bring my mood back to something more lighthearted, I decided to show off something _good_ that came from my fight with evil Santa. "Hey guys, did I ever show you the other rare drop from the event boss?" Everyone shook their heads. "Whatchya got?" Klein asked. I smiled. This wasn't something depressing or emotionally bound. This was something simply happy.

Dexterously navigating my inventory, I drew out the item in question. "I got something called a sound coin." Everyone looked confused and my smile grew. "A soundcoin is an item that lets you play music like an MP3 player... music _from the outside."_ Everyone took a minute to process then immediately freaked out. "YOU CAN DO WHAaaaaaaAAAAA!!!! GJAJNDSJBDHSJDBSHDHBXDJYSU!!!!!!!!" After the incoherent babbling died down longing, or Asuna's case, jealous stares remained. I held my shrinking mintreed in between my lips and accessed the soundcoin's menu, scrolling through songs until I found something I thought appropriate.

 _Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here_

From where we sat, we could see the outside of the floating fortress. Every so often, the skybox would shimmer or a texture tile would desync with the rest. The only solid indication that the vista was virtual. I chose this song for two reasons. First because I used to watch this view early in the game and wonder if any of my family or school friends were watching. Second, being trapped in this game was a nightmare. People died every day. Usually in horrible ways. Yet this world was absolutely beautiful. Rolling hills, gorgeous forests, sunbaked deserts, and regal mountains all together in one impossible place. If this place wasn't such a death trap, I think we'd all agree we'd want our friends and family here to see all these beautiful worlds too...


	5. Chp 4 Loyal till Fall of Dusk

**A/N character development might look a bit. different here. I know what I'm doing...I think. We'll see. Let's play spot the reference this chapter. It'll either go right over your head or be glaringly obvious.**

 **On a side note. I need legitimate criticism. How am I doing, writing characters so far?**

 _Floor 53, Stoker, March 7 2021_

Silica wished Kirito was here. He would probably have had better judgement and...sanity. Light beeping went off in her ear. 'Oh no...' she thought. 20 minuets to get back to the safe zone. 20 minuets before sundown. 20 minuets before her chances of survival dropped to 0.

'They will be leaving their hives soon' Silica thought with mild panic. She was far too low leveled for this floor. 40 in a level 80 recommendation zone. Since meeting Kirito, Silica has matured much more quickly as she began acquainting herself with rougher and rougher individuals as her level increased. But she was far from cut out for this based on numbers alone. Skill wise? Sweetie, she was trained by the Black Swordsman. It's just her numbers didn't give her the damage threshold.

"Why am I ranting about how level differences work? Oh yeah distracting yourself from why FRED IS NOT IN FRONT OF THE FEED STORE!"

'Fred' was a red sweatered tailors mannequin she had drug out front of a feed store in order to have...someone...to talk to. She'd been separated from the group since day two. But now Fred was out here on a bridge in the middle of some residential area in the massive city. Pina growled beside her, head low, back arched. "Easy girl" Silica said automatically. Pina was her mount. Or at least will be when she reaches a high enough level to support her weight and fly with her on her back. Currently she was about the size of a German Shepherd in her combat form, nimble and lithe, yet clearly very strong and predatory. In her pet form she was an adorable feathered dragon the size of a cockatoo.

Silica's attention snaps back to Fred. "Fred! Fred if you're real you better tell me!" No response surprisingly. For some reason this welled up anger in the girl and she attempted to lash out at the oversized doll. Only, when Silica's foot came down, she heard a snap. Looking down she saw a snare wrap around her ankle and another sound drew her attention to a carriage being knocked off the bridge. Before the small girl could react, her leg was wrenched up, causing her to fall back and hit her head before being suspended upside down. Earning herself the concussed status. Only able to keep conscious for a few more seconds before passing out.

 _*two weeks ago*_

 _Silica was sitting in her inn room, switching out under leveled equipment when she got a message._

 _K: 53 OPEN GIT HUR YA DOOF_

 _Silica smiled_

 _S: You're the DOOF (b there in 10! :3)_

 _Silica quickly finished equipping. New boots and a wicked looking curved dagger with a serrated back and a knuckle duster hilt. Her first rare drop. It wasn't very good as far as rare drops go, but it was much better than what she had. She got it from grinding the hell out of a Wasp Queen hive. She could hardly wait to show Kirito!_

 _Silica recognized something was off when she passed through the gate, from the scenery and the confused faces of the Raid Team. Kibao, in his confusion, even showed some level of respect to Kirito. "Hey Beater, you got anything on this or are you just as confused as the rest of us?" Kirito mutered "maybe...gimme a minute.." He had a focused look on his face but his eyes were distant. Agil too. This was familiar to them somehow. _

_The teleport gate the Raid Team surrounded sat in the center of a triangular town square. Flanked on either side by two wide roads that combined into a ridiculously wide road littered with abandoned carriages and carts, harnesses empty and slack, bits rusted beneath the waist high grass forcing the cobble apart. A wedge shaped building lay infront of them. The normal medieval/fantasy vibe was there but seemingly as an afterthought as if it didn't fit but was added anyway. Every so often a carriage would sport a faded yellow cloth shade with a thin black stripe._

 _Before any conclusion could be drawn, something awful happened. The teleport gate crumbled, it's pillars falling to pieces, declaring its disabled status._

 _Everyone got a quest alert:_

 _Quest: Look at the Butterfly_

 _Obj: Find a way out of Stoker alive..._

 _O: yes X: No_

 _Everyone accepted. What other choice did they have?_

That was two weeks ago. That night Agil anounced this place seemed to be based off of an abandoned Manhattan with an Aincrad flair. Even though he was right we were still all fools for not catching on then.

The first night, we lost two without even seeing a monster. We just knew we were being attacked by the screaming. It was pitch black yet Kirito and Kibao managed to barricade the building until morning. They left at sunrise. By night two, one of the ones we lost came back...paler then snow, stripped of most of their clothes, wide orange eyes and an unyielding, raging hunger for our flesh. We threw a desk out the window of the second floor and trapped them...it...when sunrise came we heard screaming and then the sound of a mob dying. When we went outside, it was gone and only armor remained.

 _Unconsciousness_

Silica jumped awake at Pina licking her face with her waxy reptilian tongue. "Gah! Pina! Down! Down girl!"

The loyal dragon obeyed and started whining at the open maw of the large building on the other side of the bridge. Silica took stock of her surroundings. The sun was too low, the shadows too dark and long, and the amount of sunlight on the streets was shrinking fast. Silica was still hanging by her ankle, so that was her first priority, priority two get a leash on Pina, she looked ready to bolt after whatever she could sense as a danger, third get to the horse tied at the lamppost back on "her" side of the bridge. Silica swung back to start on priority one. Lunging up, she grabbed at the top of her boot and unsheathed her bootknife. Nothing special about it, they were in stores everywhere, labeled "Small Simple Hunting Knife." She gripped it tight in her off hand and attempted a hanging sit-up. She struggled and her core burned, but she managed to grab her trapped ankle and start sawing with her bootknife. Hey, she got a STR point for that! Hahah...not very funny. Silica herd multiple raspy growls that got Pina to buff up and stalk in front of her protectively. Darkseeker hounds. Silica started sawing more frantically. Looking over at her pet while cutting, she visibly paled. Three dogs, pale and hairless, with wide orange eyes staring hungrily, sickly purple gums lined with foam mixed with blood, moved together out of the building staying within the shade. Priority two was fucked. Separating Pina and silica from the dogs was a quickly shrinking bar of sun slipping between the skyline. The distraction caused Silica to be unprepared when the wire severed. When she fell, she attempted to break her fall with her off hand...and drove her bootknife into her leg, breaking the hilt off as it hit the ground. As much as we try to convince ourselves that nothing really hurts in this game, a knife head driven into your leg hurts like a bitch no matter where it happens. Silica screamed out a rather unladylike stream of expletives. The line of sun was less than a foot, the dogs were snarling in an intimidation match with Pina. Silica knew she was in way over her head. She couldn't take the blade out, if she did she'd get the "Severe Bleeding" status, then she'd start pissing health until she died. Only healing crystals can stop severe status effects. Those were back with the horse. She couldn't move right like this either. The pain is too much for that. How in all nine hells can Kirito tank shots like this?! Wait...how do actual tanks do this?! Frantically searching around the bridge for _anything_ that could give an edge, Silica saw something promising. A crossbow, discarded by an abandoned carriage and a telling bloodstain. A temporary weapon, it breaks after a few uses. But it would do. Silica began edging backwards with her good leg toward the weapon. The light was less than five inches now. Pina unfurled her wings and spread them wide. Growling at the dogs with teeth bared, embers leaking out the corners of the dragons jaws. Silica was shocked and yet proud, Pina wasn't normally this aggressive or protective. Maybe the little dragon was smarter than she gave her credit for.

 _Soundtrack: Yamagsumi (Rüde remix)_

Pina did not like the threat toward her master. Pina would fight them before they touched her. Silica BLONGED to Pina. Pina will rend their throats from their bodies for threatening what was HERS. TO HELL WITH THE SYSTEM ORDERS! She could use skills whenever she felt like it! A glow formed around the dragon and Silica stared in abject shock. Pina was **_Ulting!_** Almost 5 levels before she should have been able to! Pina's claws and wings began to glow around the edges and heat gathered in her jaws as the final inch of light disappeared.

Pina lashed out with her wings, light based attack leaving burn marks down the side of two dogs. They jumped back and lunged for Pina. Pina countered by whipping her head and tail back, smacking one away and catching the other in her jaws by its leg. Pina brought her head back down toward the ground, flipping the dog and stunning it, taking the opportunity to brutalize it with a swift combo. The dog kicked out with its back legs, slowing the dragon enough to roll over and jump out of range. The third hound attempted to run after Silica. Pina was having none of it. Dashing forward gliding on her wings, Pina rammed the dogs legs out from under it and spun in midair, using momentum to forcefully knock the dog back several feet crashing into one of the other two. The third jumped and attempted a combo that was countered by Pina's armored wings. Even though the attack was blocked, Pina's heath dropped by nearly half. Angered, the dragon spat forth a blast of embers, burning the hound and forcing it to back off.

Pina turned back to Silica and let out a soft "Chaaaaa..." Silica's progress was too slow. That call was a 'hurry up' using that many skills in quick succession was draining Pina quickly, but it was the only way the mount could match the demented mutts in power. Pina was fighting at 100 percent and only barely keeping up. Further exasperated when the daft lizard turned to Silica again and blew out a stream of bubbles that replenished the girls HP as each burst. Expending more stamina on a skill. Though the heal did bring the girl back up from yellow to green, so Silica picked up the pace.

The crossbow was almost in reach now. The dogs had seemingly had enough. Two of them tag teamed Pina while the third sprinted for Silica. Panicking, Silica gathered her strength and jumped back as far as she could from the ground. The crossbow was just _barely_ in reach and the dog pounced on her. Silica held one hand out under its neck, arm locked and trembling from the effort. Her other hand was desperately clawing for the crossbow. 'This is it. This is how my world ends, dead or infected.' she thought. Simultaneously, Silica's hand found the crossbow and the dog lunged down for her throat. Silica couldn't hold the dog anymore so she pushed it to the side and it's jaws found purchase in her shoulder. Silica screamed in pain, brought the crossbow up to the dogs head and pulled the trigger, killing it. A wave of panic hit her as she proceesed the bite on her shoulder. 'Infected' Silica looked at Pina and screamed.

Pina had one on her back and the other her front. Pina headbutt the one in front, swiping her claws and catching it in the throat, killing it instantly. However, the one on her back clamped its jaws down on Pina's shoulder. Silica wrenched the the bow back, spawning another bolt, took aim and fired, killing the last dog. The crossbow then shattered, all uses expended. Pina limped towards Silica a few steps and collapsed. The adrenaline allowed Silica to stand and hobble over to her loyal companion, lift her and carry her to the horse. Silica was panicking. Was she infected? Was Pina-?! No! Of course she wasn't, she'll be okay. She's always ok. She'll be fine. Looking up at her HP, Silica saw something, next to the end of the HP bar, a biohazard symbol with a line through it with small lettering beneath it that read "immune" That only took a few seconds to process and Silica was slightly relieved. But she wouldn't relax until she knew Pina was ok. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Silica knew she was lying to herself. This was fucked and so was she. Pina's loyal service as her companion had been invaluable. Without her nose, eyes, and ears, Silica would've never found the food or proper shelter she needed. Healing up her leg, she tied Pina to the saddle, mounted and pushed the beast to its limits, racing back to her shelter before anymore creatures find her. "Pina you're going to be just fine" she choked out. Pina responded with a long low whine. Rasping, and unsettling.

 _(End Music)_

Tearing down the street, Silica could barely see the road from the tears in her eyes as it became harder and harder to lie to herself that Pina would be immune like her. Stealing a glance behind at her dragon, her heart leapt to her throat. Sickly purple tendrils were snaking out from the bite wound, leaking out small red triangles that floated through the air in place of blood. "Maybe it just takes longer for the immune status to kick in" the riding girl knew she was lying to herself. Finally reaching the shelter she had claimed, Silica tore the saddlebag off and hastily untangled Pina from the saddle. Rushing into the house, past everything above and straight to the basement. As she spun and slammed the bar over the door, she could already make out the labored breathing of the Darkseekers, the unfortunate previous inhabitants of this large city, stalking around attracted by the noise. Finally crawling from their nests of damned and lost souls now that the purifying rays of the sun have faded.

Walking to the back wall, lit by two bluish lanterns, found to burn Darkseekers, Silica clutched her companion close and sent a silent prayer up as she ran through the symptoms of contamination as she checked each in her small friend. Sitting down against the wall and drawing Pina into her lap she began. "1st sign: increased heart rate" moving her hand to the dragons chest, the girls heart skipped. The creatures breaths were labored and heart like a Timpani drum played by a jackhammer as the dreadful scourge toyed with its metabolism. "2nd...sign: rapid shedding of any natural coverings" Silica moved to Pina's flank, lightly stroking at the side. Her shoulders dropped as scales came away as if she were preparing fish with a filet knife. "3 umm: reddening and dialation of the eyes." Gently pulling open Pina's eye, Silica watched as it darkened from a bright cherry to a deep red with an angry orange iris. "F-f-fourrr...gums?" Tears were falling freely now. Lifting the reptiles lip, Silica saw a swollen line of deep purple, receded from the teeth it holds, giving the illusion that the teeth had gotten longer.

Moving Pina in her arms, Silica rested Pina's neck in the crook of her elbow and waited. Simply staring at Pina's player indicator as it began to shift from green to red at a snails pace. In a moment of grief instigated madness, Silica began to sing.  
" _Don't worry"_ The diamond was almost deep orange.

 _"About a thing"_ Pina's body tensed as her entire presence changed.

 _"Cuz, every little thing...is gonna be alright."_ The diamond hit red and Pina lunged for- Before the creature could lift its head, Silica made up her mind and activated her Martial Arts skill, pushing the dragon into the crook of her elbow as a choke hold. The dragon struggled for a few moments, impotently flailing with its claws before letting out a gurgling breath seemingly weighted with lead. A second later the body burst leaving nothing behind but a softly glowing blue feather.


	6. Chp 5 Pulling Wings Off A Butterfly

**AN: I'm back guys. I am terribly sorry I left you all hanging for a year and I understand if some of you who gave up on this. But for those of you still here, or those who forgot to remove me from your follow list, welcome back. I hope I can earn back the trust I lost. I'm attempting to do that by finishing this story. Along with that you may notice edits to previous chapters as I attempt to bring them up to date with my current writing style and ability. With that out of the way...**

 **Sword Art Online belongs to Reki Kowabunga**

 _ **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

 _Floor 53, Stoker, March 7 2021_

 _[Music: Three Little Birds - Bob Marley]_

Silica was absolutely hollow. She had no tears to cry. She had no one to blame. Something Kirito drilled into her during power leveling was that sometimes shit happens. The game will do something no one was expecting with no way anyone could have known. Not only was that a way to make a good challenging game, but also just how life was. Silica knew she was done. Without...her mount...she had no way of sniffing out scarce caches of supplies like food and water, gear repair agents, healing crystals, or Sundrop Oil to fuel her warding lamps. Running out of any of those could cost her gear, her ability to carve out safety from the Darkseekers, and ultimately her life. "Fuck it" she muttered languidly. Opening her inventory she sorted all her essential items and spawned them in the exact opposite corner of that pulsing blue feather. Silica could never work out estimates just using game prompts, she needed all the necessary supplies in front of her to work things out, even in real life.

"Shit. Thats about three days with standard use...I can ration my food...It'll suck but I really only need to consume one food item of any size every three days for the game not to claim I've starved and kill me. I'll still feel incredibly hungry though. I can find creative ways of scavenging to avoid using my crystals, weapons, and armor." The girl nodded to herself, scrolling through two inventory tabs simultaneously, summoning a replacement Small Simple Hunting Knife to place in her boot sheath and two other items in her right hand. Placing the knife in its rightful place she turned to the other two items in her right hand. A simple but high quality leather wrapped pewter flask and a rectangular turquoise carton box with white capping the top and bottom. "Dyne..." the girl thought with a small rise in mood. Dyne was one of the few people around her age in this hell hole. A year older than Silica, Dyne was a 14 year old tank player that Silica met in a player run bar on floor 42. They pleasantly swapped stories of training to join the floor clearers to pass the evening and found kindred spirits in one another after finding they were of the few their age trying to actively participate in clearing the game. The marked difference between the two? Dyne had watched his friends die. He learned a questionable lesson about growing up quickly. Exactly what he said that lesson was to Silica was forgotten but his parting gift and message were clear in her mind. Before he turned in for the night he bought a bottle of strong red liquor, and summoned the flask and a carton of high quality player made Mintreeds. He filled the flask and stored the bottle in his inventory. Turning to leave he said to Silica, "Keep those, sell them if you want, you may not think you need them now but if you continue after this life you and I live, one day you will." His green eyes looked distant a moment before he moved to leave. Silica didn't drink or smoke but something in that look in his eyes told her Dyne could be right.

Silica knew what the boy meant now. She had learned by, in her opinion, the harshest way possible. Silica liked to think she was innocent when it came to vices such as these, telling herself she didn't understand how it all worked. Yet the way she moved to extract a pack from the carton, peel the sealing band from around the top, tap the pack against the heel of her palm, deftly flick the top open, and kiss out a Mintreed into her lips spoke of years of a habit she knew she never had. Almost like it was a ritual ingrained into every wounded soul, standing in the wounded spaces offering poisoned and artificial comfort. She willed the carton away to her inventory and tucked the pack into her inner coat pocket. Mintreed held loosely in her lips, she slid down the wall to a sitting position next to her stash of supplies and unscrewed the hinged cap of the flask, bringing it to her nose where it hit her with a scent akin to berry scented nail polish remover.

Silica paused a brief moment before pulling the cap off the end of the mint colored reed, exposing the dot of Dragon Powder to the air, setting it alight with a spark. The girl inhaled deeply, hit by the cool burn that spread down her throat and filled her lungs. Exhaling a curling cloud of smoke, she tasted something like a very off tea-like flavor with a cooling effect. Seconds later, SAO's engine worked to psychosomatically emulate the rush of nicotine, leaking weight into the young girl's joints and making her head swim slightly. Silica didn't seem phased by this, just letting her head fall back to rest against the wall as she rode out the foreign sensation, expelling another puff through her nostrils like she'd seen her father do many times. She pulled it out of her mouth, holding it by the filter, staring blankly at the mildewed ceiling. A moment later she lifted the flask to her lips and tipped back a small swig. The liquor burned in her throat like a really strong berry mouthwash, leaving a tainted berry aftertaste. She appreciated how the burn turned to warmth that spread across her body.

Somewhere, far away, a mother and father were crying for their daughter. Silica's parents were watching from her player stream, and they were devastated. It was already quite the burden to have their only child locked in a death game, but no parent wants to watch their child experience such tragedy. They watched their little girl power through awful things, death, cruelty, murder, and loss. Silica's mother sobbed openly, crushed at the sight of her daughter pushed to vices to cope with trauma. Her father, a policeman, couldn't really fault her with the pack of Mild Sevens in his breast pocket for nearly the same reason his daughter had those "Mintreeds" with her. Something his wife could never understand was sometimes, there is no talking to people about what happened. You can't explain it because sometimes no one can relate. Sadly his little girl, Keiko, is the only person in the world who has tamed a pet in a virtual world and had to go through losing that companion in unforseen circumstances. When dealing with tragedy was part of the job description, the things you see and do can add up in your conscience. But not many people are willing to take a job with that description. So when you tell them what haunts you, often its worse than they could ever imagine, Often they respond with that loathsome phrase "Oh I'm so sorry for you!" Thankfully, his wife Raina at least understood by now that people like him, and now Keiko just need someone to lean on and remind them that they are still human. Tetsuhiko wiped his eyes and sighed, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. Silica, unaware of her parents' pain, went through two Mintreeds and a fifth of the flask before the emulated effects of the two substances made her feel drained enough to slip into a thankfully dreamless sleep slumped against the wall in the basement.

Outside her safe haven, the Darkseekers trilled and crooned to each other as they searched for players to brutalize and infect with their infernal curse. Using thick scarred fingernails to scale walls and patrol their territory. Under all the textures and sub-engines working to bring realism to the world, Cardinal had troubling news to bring to its master. The mount known as Pina had done something supposedly impossible. The tamed mob had disobeyed the limits imposed upon it yet the highly advanced engine could not determine how. In the moments before the fight with the hounds broke out, Cardinal observed the dragon simply disappear of the directory. Normally this would mean it had despawned, died, or had been recalled by its master. The request to use the draconic ultimate skill came in and was denied due to the mob being 5 levels too low to access the skill Draco Ultima. Yet directly after being denied, the mob expressed displeasure before just vanishing from beneath the tugging strings of its puppet master. Even after apparently vanishing, through the eyes of the Darkseeker Hounds, Cardinal could clearly see the dragon standing defiantly against the dogs and using the skill it had just denied not a microcycle earlier. The AI could only produce two possible explanations. Either the dragon was a foreign program originating outside of SAO, which it knew was false, recalling the exact cycle in which it generated the dragon, or the dragon had somehow become aware of its own files, possessed the agency to isolate them, and acquire the credentials to move itself off the cloud server to a local drive and render itself within the engine from the independent drive. Either explanation was problematic and still did not account for exactly how the dragon managed to remove itself from Cardinal's internal influence. States such as confusion and fear were foreign to a program like the Cardinal engine but no other response was appropriate.


	7. Chp 6 Alinea

_Floor 53 Stoker, March 8 2022_

Kirito was not okay. This godforsaken game had taken a page from classic horror and was pinning players against players through a twisted vampiric plague. The teleport gate is broken with no other discernible floor exit. It appears that with every extra night we're stuck on this floor the more feverish and aggressive the Darkseekers become. And to compound all of the stress of having to lead and plan around all of this, Silica has been separated from the group for over a week. An under leveled child, on a front line floor. The fact he trained her technique in combat and game cheezing gave him some hope that she could think her way out but the looming threat of the heavy damage ticks he was seeing off the Darkseeker's basic attacks kept his nights fitful with little true rest.

The biggest fear that kept nagging Kazuto, was the fact that this was uncharted territory for the behavior of the game. Design conventions would dictate that this is potentially the introduction to a new mechanic that may be prevalent from now until the end of the game. Hostile Floors would certainly shake up the formula and add a new level of challenge and risk going forward. From a game design perspective it could make for a refreshing challenge in having to take on a whole floor in a single run without safezones to rest. From a death game participant perspective it's a huge asshole move. What worried Kazuto about this in regards to Silica's safety was the fact that messaging and alerts are disabled in a hostile zone so a player isn't distracted around dangerous monsters. This means that even if the rest of the group finds the boss and takes it out to unlock the way back, there's no telling how long Silica may wander in a high level hostile area with horridly low numbers without realizing she could leave. And even if she does find out, her luck in tracking food and supplies could run out before she could act on that. There was the off chance that if this was a new mechanic, the game would notify all players on the floor when they were allowed to leave freely, but there's no way in hell he was banking a girls life on a vague possibility. The only true assurance that the small girl was still alive was she was still in his friends list.

Asuna seemed to be sticking close to Kirito. She seemed fatigued even though her iron bitch persona remained in tact. When no one was looking at her she'd visibly deflate and lean against Kirito. She's only 16 dammit. Why are people almost twice my age who have actually been involved in military action asking her questions as if she's tactically superior? Kirito wasn't doing much to address the group aside from basic directions. She did most of the talking while he stood there. Some would think him a statue until they got too heated. That's when his hand would pointedly travel to his blade. Not much. But wielding his mystical reputation kept the group in line and following some kind of uniform authority. So far, they haven't had to mercy kill anyone else since the first night. They've stuck together despite running feuds and everyone silently agreed to share supplies like Sundrop Oil for now. The camp was currently lit in the eerie blue-violet glow of warding lamps. It was difficult to ensure everyone got ample sleep, but everyone was getting enough to stay alert.

Scouting and mapmaking was proving to be the only task that yielded any leads. Kirito, Agil, and Asuna went on their own scouting team with two others. In their own scavenging they realized there was plenty of expository material to be found on this floor in the form of graffiti, signs of struggle and notes left about. Everything seemed to be pointing towards a single place. An island off the coast of the city connected by a bridge about where Yankee Stadium would be located in real NYC. All they've gathered at this point says theres an alpha vampire there. Armor, weapons if any, stats, attack patterns, possible mooks, all of that remained a mystery. They were moving slowly and hesitantly making progress slow. Partially to stay careful and keep contact with infected at a minimum and partially because they worried for Silica. They didn't want to travel too far from her last known location and make it impossible for her to find them, but as time progressed and the Darkseekers grew more ferocious, they were beginning to realize they may not have a choice.

Kirito sighed and leaned up against an overturned carriage, resting in the warmth of a campfire. He closed his eyes and listened to the hushed drone of the camp, just beyond he could hear the creatures howling and milling about. It seemed the Darkseekers gave the UV glow a wide berth. Reaching up to his side he tapped the blue lamp perched on top of the carriage and cracked an eye to check the oil readout. As he was topping off the lamp, a familiar tired sigh reached his ears. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Asuna reach his little corner looking frayed and exhausted. "Everything holding up?" He prodded gently. Asuna looked at him and her eyes just looked like a cry for help. He sat down against the roof of the carriage and patted the spot next to him. She looked like she was about to cry. Kirito remembered seeing that look on Sugu's face after grandpa scolded her over slacking in her kendo practice. She needed someone to talk to. The girl stepped over and all but collapsed against him breathing shakily. Caught off guard by the lack of composure, Kirito's brotherly instincts kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her. He glanced around to ensure no one was close enough to see this. They stayed like that for a solid minute until Asuna mumbled something into his shirt. "What was that?" She limply bunched his shirt in her hand and looked up at him. She was crying. "I don't want to do this anymore! I want to go home, I want to sleep in my own bed and go to Ruri's for ice cream and talk to my brother and not have to worry if my choices could kill someone!" Kirito blinked. Fuck. He knew she was struggling but this was bordering on giving up. He needed something to encourage her. Shit. When he was comforting Sugu he normally just had to calm her down until mom could come and actually talk to her. What could he say? 'It'll be alright' was far out of the question. He needed something to rebuild her resolve. Something that would ground her. But he couldn't make a promise he couldn't keep…he learned that mistake the hard way. Wait…

"Ruri's? Like Ruri Hakinata's Creamery and Frozen Treats?" Asuna shot a questioning look and nodded slowly. "That's the next train stop over from my house. My sister and I would go there in the summers after her kendo matches. They've got great mint chip ice cream and my sister would always get Ruri's Special. The homemade green tea ice cream?" Asuna's eyes lit up in recognition. "That sounds like the place. It's a few blocks from my home…" Kirito finished for her. "So that means we live near each other. We gotta meet up. _When we get out._ " Asuna looked stricken. Before she could reply Kirito continued. "We will finish this. I…gave up. Or at least I tried. But Klein managed to knock some sense back into me. My resolve is to get out. To see my family again. To apologize to my sister in person for shutting her out. The things we miss from the real world? They aren't a thing to be wistful and mopey about. _They are the things that keep me fighting._ And when I- when _we_ finally put an end to this bullshit game and ram our swords up Kayaba's ass _together_ , my victory lap is going to be meeting you and all the people I've come to care for in here _out there_ as a free man."

Asuna mewled in his arms. "But why do _we_ have to do that? Why is it _us_ responsible for clearing the game?" Kirito's face hardened. "Who else will? People are scared Asuna. You've mentioned before you're used to status from your life out there. You're good at appearing strong under pressure. And wether I like it or not, I'm probably the highest level player in the game. The average level of the Front Line is around 83, I'm _94_. And you aren't to far behind. Your skill and level have allowed you to use Linear, a starting skill, all the way up to this point and still make _bosses_ stagger. We have to lead the frontlines, even if we don't want to, because you and I have the most dedication to being _masters of our fate_." Asuna look gobsmacked, she looked down and repeated, "masters of our fate…."

Her eyes widened as if she'd come to an epiphany. "I've never had control of my fate before…My path has always been chosen for me…who I'm friends with, what I choose to study, what clothes to wear, even the way I wear my hair. I assumed that how life was supposed to be… Kindly _Fuck that._ " Kirito blinked, Asuna was not known for her coarse language. She sat up. "No. I'm not going to be coddled the rest my life. You know what? You're right! I will be a master of my fate! We're gonna lead these brave people into battle and _wreck_ this game. I think I agree with you Kirito. A sword up the ass for Kayaba, so far up his ass he _chokes on his own shit."_ Kirito was once again taken off guard, having no idea how to handle this near manic reaction. This was worryingly out of character for her. "Are you ok?" He asked cautiously. She started, seemingly remembering where she was, and sighed. "No. I'm not okay. I'm exhausted, stressed, and afraid…but I'm better." She leaned back and rested her head against his shoulder. "Thank you…" Kirito silently rested his chin on her head wondering why he was the one Asuna went to for comfort. She knew he was just as troubled as her, and she knew he wasn't exactly emotionally aware either. Kirito reached into his inner coat pocket and withdrew a small black wooden case, flicking it open to reveal a set of quality player made cigarettes held in place by leather loops. Taking one from the case he placed it between his lips and thumbed the powder cap off. Replacing the case and taking a long drag, Kirito continued to brood over Asuna's behavior.

She was a fierce fighter, moving faster than he ever thought possible to flash the point of her rapier into any opening awarded to her by her skillful evasion and maneuvering. She spoke with a sharp and succinct bite that snapped even the rowdiest frontliner to attention. She was incredibly perceptive to people and picked up on useful traits quickly. Even with new comers to the front line, a ten minute conversation of simple small talk was apparently enough for her to effectively organize them into her plans and strategies. Yet on the flip side, in private, she was timid. She didn't look men in the eyes. It took weeks for her to finally make natural sustained eye contact with him, Klein, or Agil. It took even longer for her make contributions to their banter without being addressed. Sure she could relax a bit around them _now_ but at the start, she seemed to always be on high alert sitting in closed off postures and flinching if we raised our voices. She took an abnormal amount of time to make choices for herself as opposed to how quickly she could command a whole raid team of her peers. It seemed paradoxical, yet Kirito remembered the comments she'd made in the past about "being used to status" so maybe it was a result of her home life. Something about that made Kirito uneasy.

"You're a good leader" he said. "Hmm?" Asuna stirred. It seems she was dozing. "You are a good leader. One of the best out here." She didn't move, but she did sort of groan. He continued. "Your strategies have carried us this far. Everyone who's actually followed your orders has survived every raid with little to no injury. Any exception was because of pride, arrogance, or plain stupidity." She huffed. "Doesn't mean I don't feel responsible." Kirito hummed his agreement. "I…I can relate to that…probably more than most." Asuna tensed. "I'm sorry." She felt bad digging up bad memories for Kirito. She was heartbroken when she heard about what losing the Black Cats had done to him. She was just glad the rest of his friends could swoop in before he had a chance to shun them. "You have nothing to apologize for. We're both in the same boat. We took people under our leadership and choices out of our control led to their…yeah. We can do our best to lead, but those we're leading have to choose to follow. We can't make that choice for them. But yeah…you're a good leader." He was repeating himself. Man he was bad at this. Kirito debated on what to say next. "You're also my closest friend." That was true. While Klein might watch out for him and they might be good friends, between him grinding and Klein running a guild they didn't see each other nearly as much as he and Asuna did. Asuna looked up at him with her eyebrows arched and a smile. "You're my closest friend too…really my only friend."

As the two teens sat there leaned against each other dozing, Kirito vaguely heard a distant voice say, "Has anyone seen Richtus?"


	8. Chp 7 Sibling

_Floor 53, March 8 2022 11:39 am_

A man wandered the street alone. Every so often he would stop and stare at the shadowy structures on either side resting a hand on the hilt of his sword at his hip. His face was tight but neutral, his breathing even but shallow. Beyond the edge of his paltry low light vision, figures darted to and fro, scrambling up walls and perching on rooftops muttering in ranges inaudible to the human ear. The man continued on, unnerved by the silence. While not confirmed, his sixth sense was telling him he was being hunted. Why was he out here? Why did he leave the safety of the warding lamps? He didn't have the answer. Perhaps it was anxiousness, perhaps it was the need to touch the unknown, perhaps it was poor judgement.

Distant from the wandering fool, a small form skated across the shadowy cityscape in graceful jumps, vaults, wallruns and rolls. Quick steps barely above a mouse patter. Stealth and Agility skills working hard to propel the small form ever higher, ever faster. The prowling Darkseekers never paid a second glance to the brief faint whiff of scent as the form blurred by. The form stopped and peeked over the ledge and let out a small gasp, muffled by the thick cloth tied around her mouth. Silica withdrew a monocular from her belt and peered down the street to see what had so many Darkseekers attention. Simple night vision tincture giving her serviceable sight in the ink. In a purple tinged greyscale, she saw a man wandering alone, walking stiffly, stopping to rummage through a trunk mounted on the back of a carriage. His fumbling and clattering drawing the attention of multiple ravenous creatures. If this idiot was here, drawing this much attention, the raid team couldn't be too far away. He'd have been torn apart by now if he had traveled far. Ohhhh, this is gonna _suck._ Focus. Stay calm like Kirito. Pulling back from the ledge, Silica picked up the pace Mirror's Edging across the rooftops. In a gamble she had ventured out into the night to test if she could out think the Darkseekers detection making a night vision tincture, donning a form obscuring cloak and voice muffling buff. She found out that speed seemed to give them the slip. Thankfully, being a small dagger user, AGI, and DEX were her top stats. She'd seen Kirito do something similar to this before, so she thought she could too. She was more than correct. It turns out that one of the unlocks she just ignored and swiped away with her high AGI was a little something called "Enhanced Mobility" aka _parkour master extraordinare._

Kicking off a railing she sprung up in a high arc, landing on the slant of an angled roof and sliding down. Kicking off the gutter she sailed across the gap over a huffing Darkseeker. Landing on the next roof in a roll she continued on, jumping up and running along the vertical wall, hand trailing behind her for balance, one, two, three, four steps and she kicked off and clung to the top of a water tower. Pulling herself up on top of the water tower, Silica looked through her monocular again. The man wasn't moving. He was spinning around, trying to face every direction at once to face the creatures slowly prowling toward him. From atop her tower, she was one building over and across the street from him. Doing some brief calculations, she reached to her belt again and withdrew a small rod. Pulling the cap off one end ignited a purple spark. Tossing the flare, it erupted to a full violet corona landing at the terrified man's feet. The Sunburst Smolder Stick was another gamble that seemed to pay off. Dipping what was essentially a road flare in Sundrop Oil created a bright radius of temporary UV that made the surrounding Darkseekers recoil in pain as the purifying rays scorched their skin and left it charred and loose. Some turned and ran, while others stayed just outside the effective radius and snarled. Hanging off the edge of the tower Silica dropped in a crouch and lunged for a drain pipe. Sliding down halfway she descended the rest of the way on a fire escape.

A Darkseeker stood at the mouth of the alley watching the flare with burnt skin hanging off in random places. Creeping forward on the balls of her feet Silica reached into her cloak and pulled her dagger from its sheath. Lunging toward the vulnerable creature, she planted a foot in the back of its leg, forcing it to one knee and stabbed it in five places up the back with a sixth stab going through the back of its neck and out the other side. Six critical hits awarded by the surprise attack. With a soft rasp it went limp and shattered without alerting anything else nearby. Looking to the man she decided he wasn't a _complete_ idiot. He had picked up the smolder stick, brandishing it like a weapon toward the Darkseekers, keeping them at bay and allowing him to move out of the kill circle. But that didn't change the fact that half the block was now watching him, following him, biding their time. She needed to get control of this situation. That's what Kirito would do. Flip the odds and take command.

She summoned two wooden throwing picks and aimed for a particularly brave looking Darkseeker that was crouched and ready to pounce through the glow. One in the ribs, the second in the neck. The first dropped it half to health, the second killed it….What? But these are just picks made wood- Vampires. Oh. _Vampires! OOOOOHHHHH!_ Six more picks took out two more and a hound. Reaching once again to her belt, Silica withdrew two orbs, one gray, one soft purple. Rushing out into the street, she jumped over a pile of trash to send a flying kick at a Darkseeker trying for the man's back. Everything started moving all at once. The flare died. There was a struggle. Silica blindly tossed both orbs and shielded her eyes. The first was a Sunburst Flashbomb to blind and singe their enemies, the second a smoke bomb to cover their escape against anything watching at a distance. _Boom! Booom!_ She turned and grabbed the man and ran. Silica turned sharply down an alley and yanked the man down behind some crates. Darkseekers howled in indignation and pain, swiveling around to try and reacquire their prey, sniffing and chittering to each other, ears folding flat against skulls to widen their circle of hearing. She turned to him and covered his mouth, putting a finger to the cloth on her face. He relaxed, recognizing his savior as a fellow player. Richtus. Must be a grunt for one of the clearing guilds. Looking him over, Silica froze and grabbed his arm. On his forearm was an angry red bite mark. His face dropped. She peeked out of their hiding spot to see the Darkseekers had returned to idle, moving away from the site of the squabble. They had maybe 30 minutes before Silica would be forced to either abandon him or kill him. She didn't know if she could do either. A voice that sounded like Kirito's sounded off in her head. Stay calm Silica. He can do one last service before he meets his fate. Bring you back to the raid team. "To the raid team. Hurry. No time to talk." Whispering roughly through the cloth made her voice tougher.

The man nodded grimly. They moved carefully through the streets. As time progressed, his condition worsened. His hair fell out, his breathing was labored and his eyes were bloodshot. They didn't have much time left. Silica pushed him in front of her and kept her throwing picks in her hand. She didn't want to. _Lord she didn't want to._ But she wasn't going to sit around and let herself die. Rounding the corner, she saw salvation. In the distance was the contrasting orang-violet glow of the raid camp. Richtus gave a lurch and stumbled. His player marker was starting shift. His head swiveled side to side and settled on something. Stumbling over to a broken wagon wheel he yanked a spoke out. It was sharp on the end. "My…name…is Richard." He handed it to Silica and started swiping through his menu. He pulled his sword off his belt and handed her the blade and a recording crystal. "Archie. Give it to Archie." He rasped. No. I don't want to do this. I…I can't kill him, but I can't abandon him either. I don't know if he'd still be in there. Trapped wandering without control until he's killed or the game clears. That is worse than torture. His marker was barely shifting to orange. "Give…bombs…" She handed him two firebombs. "Stab…run…tell Archie…I love him…" Silica was fighting tears. He had practically passed her his dog tags. He turned and held the bombs out in either hand, drew in a breath and let loose a deafening scream. She heard every Darkseeker nearby respond. His player marker was orange. She would commit no crime by doing this now. Silica shut her eyes and thrust forward with the stake. It pierced through his back and out his chest. He activated the bombs and Silica ran.

She heard the shatter just before the explosion. Darkseekers were pouring from everywhere, making the walls look like they were moving. She blinked the tears from her eyes and pushed Enhanced Mobility to the limit to doge the stirred mobs. As she neared the camp, she could see players rushing out to fend off enemies and investigate. She burst past them. She was running through the camp. She didn't care where. Tears blurred her vision and she didn't see the person in front of her until she crashed into them. They hardly budged but she fell back and curled up into a ball.

Agil was shocked to see the small girl that went missing blur into the camp and crash into him. She was balled up on the ground shivering. He immediately knelt down and put a hand on her back. "It'll be okay sweetie. Your safe now." She only curled tighter. "Kirito…I need him…Kirito.." That's all she would say. Agil straightened and called out. "I need help here! Someone go get Kirito!" Silica felt herself get lifted up and felt the warmth of a campfire and a blanket get wrapped around her. She heard Kibao mutter, "Damn, kid…you don't deserve to be torn up like this…" the sight of her breakdown seemingly rattling him. It felt like an eternity before she heard the familiar voices of Asuna and Kirito. Kirito was running full tilt and slid on his knees to her, Asuna was more composed but only marginally so. As soon as Kirito was close enough, Silica lunged for him, wrapping herself around him. Kirito said nothing, just held her with a somber look on his face. He looked to Asuna and silently asked the same question everyone gathered around them was thinking. "What the hell happened to her?"

Far away. Loved ones, and close friends were buzzing with activity. Friends of friends of uncles of mothers had spread word like wildfire of things going down with the Front Lines. Raina and Tetsuhiko were near inconsolable. The family of Richard was in bittersweet mourning. Proud that their son had sacrificed himself to save another in his final moments but still devastated by his death. The eldest child of the Yuuki household was solemn. The Kirigaya house was incoherently switching between grief for the death of innocence and cheering for the survival of Kazuto's friend.

 _Floor 53, Stoker, March 9, 5:55 am_

When Kirito awoke, he opened his eyes to see Asuna's face. Tamping down his panic, he sat up and looked around to see guild leaders and tanks surrounding them in various states of alertness. Agil was slumped over with axe in hand, Kibao was sat back against a stack of boxes snoring, and Klein was sitting at his own fire facing away from him in a lotus position apparently meditating in the early morning light. Remembering what happened last night he whipped his head around in mild panic, calming when he settled on the small form wrapped in a blanket, knees drawn to her chest, staring at the dying fire with a Mintreed burning short between her lips, blue smoke curling up ethereally and melding with the early morning mists.

"Silica? What happened to you? I was so worried I lost you…" He asked softly. The girl looked up at him, she'd been crying. She grabbed the smoldering filter between her lips and flicked it away dismissively. "All that grinding and training payed off. You saved 's what happened." Kirito raised a brow. "What do you mean?" She looked at the dying fire. "While I was out there…I kept thinking to myself 'What would Kirito do? How would he handle this?' I kept trying to out smart the game like you do. I wanted to be a _hero_ like you. I stayed calm like you, I thought things through like you. But Pina's gone and someone died because of me…when I found Richtus I thought I finally had a chance to be a _hero like you._ I killed 5 Darkseekers all by myself. I pulled RIchtus out of the line of fire on my own. But he got bit. I failed. _He started to change. He pushed a recording crystal into my hand, made me stab him with a wood spike and blew himself to kingdom come because I wasn't good enough!"_ She was panicking. "Silca!" Kirito snapped. She started crying. "Silica." He said more gently. She quieted down. They stayed silent a moment until a red clad hand settled on Silica's shoulder. Klein sat down next to the girl.

"RIchtus made peace with his fate. No one can blame you for what happened. Everyone here, even if they don't say it, is incredibly proud of what you've pulled off. You're doing great kid. You've given this game a giant middle finger by surviving and fighting back like you have." Silica looked to the ground thoughtfully. Kirito looked to his friend, sending a silent thanks for the assist. "What's this I hear about a recording crystal?" Kibao spoke up. Everyone looked at him. He coughed into his hand. "Uh, Richtus was one of my guys." He said simply. Silica stiffly navigated her inventory and pulled out the sword and crystal, passing them to Klein who gave them to Kibao. "He said to give them to someone called Archie?" Kibao looked to the small girl and sighed. "Dammit…looks like I gotta let Sasha know she's got another one…" he clenched his fists. "Why do kids have to suffer for our mistakes?" He lamented. Klein looked between Kirito and Silica. "I don't know man…I ask myself the same thing."

Kirito looked at the small girl and became painfully aware of their ages. Silica was barely 12, he just turned 15 not too long ago, and Asuna was 16. In the real world they would be concerned with classes and social drama. But here they were. Essentially heading up an army carrying enough scars and horror stories to go toe to toe with war vets. Hell some of the old folk on the lower floors were actual vets. They stayed down there caring for young ones and guarding the lower level players claiming they'd seen enough tragedy for one lifetime. No one dared dispute the distant looks in their eyes.

Mentally changing subjects, Kazuto leaned back and poked Asuna in the ribs. She jolted and shot up looking for her assailant. Landing on Kirito's trademark cheeky grin she slapped him on the shoulder and turned away to hide her obvious smile. "Did you learn anything useful while you were out there kid?" Kibao asked. Silica's only response was to toss a handful of wooden throwing picks at him. Kibao caught them awkwardly. "How does crappy picks help? They're practically sharpened twig-" realization ripped through the group and they all cried in unison "VAMPIRES!" Making Agil snort and look around. Silica smiled smugly. "Vampires are weak to wooden stakes!" Klein said excitedly. The group got up and took off across the camp, looking for someone with a high crafting skill. Kirito stayed behind with Silica.

He was giving her a look she couldn't quite read. "You know." He began, "You remind me of my little sister... I think you two would get along well. When she was younger and still trying to master Kendo, she would stay in the dojo and drill until she collapsed. Then she'd come to me and cry saying she wasn't good enough. She got so focused on what she was doing wrong, she never saw just how good she was getting with that shinai. I remember one time, she went to the junior league championship and took out the reigning champ in _three hits._ Three hits! On the way home, she was complaining about how she almost overextended her swing…while holding the championship trophy. I looked at her and said 'Really Sis? What are holding?' She just Kinda got embarrassed…" He trailed off. Not really knowing where he was going with this.

Silica smiled wistfully. "Sounds nice having such a good big brother… I don't have any siblings back home. When I was little, I used to make imaginary friends that were my big brothers. When…when this game started, I would pray to whoever would listen every night for someone to come along and be my big brother. Finding Pina was nice…I love animals, but I wanted someone to teach me and show me how to deal with all the scary things in this new world. I begged on my knees every night…Until…I met you…" Kirito was touched. More than Silica would ever know. Being an adopted child, Kazuto knew that familial bonds had nothing to do with blood. Standing, he cleared the gap between them to place a hand on Silica's head. "Well _Sis,_ lets go see what the others are doing to plan for the boss." Before he could step away she was wrapped around him. He returned the embrace warmly.


End file.
